Dispatches from Myanmar: Part I
In August and September 2017 I spent some time traveling through Myanmar. Starting in the former capital city Yangon, we made our way all the way north to Hsipaw in the autonomous Shan State. On this trip, I had the opportunity to to document the social and environmental issues in this country in the state of transition from a military dictatorship to a somewhat democratic state. In this blog entry I want to share some images from Yangon and my experiences in the city with you.
We transited into Myanmar via Yangon International Airport, coming from Bangkok. Before going to Myanmar, we had already visited Thailand and Cambodia, but Myanmar was quite different from what we had experienced so far. In Bangkok we hopped on one of the tourist shuttle busses connecting the Airports with the city centre, but Yangon airport hat no bus connection. So we hat to make do with the crowd of betle-chewing, red-teethed taxi drivers and their ushers fighting for a fare of one of the few passengers leaving the building. Eventually we managed to get one offering a fair price, both for us and for him and were on our way to our hostel.
Our first impression of the city was much less 'westernized' than Bangkok or even Cambodia. People were dressed quite conservatively, many of them wearing the traditional longyi, a cylindric piece of cloth worn around the waist, running down to the ankles. This piece of clothing is worn by both, men and women in all kinds of everyday situations - whether it is for formal occasions combined with a business shirt or for working in construction or working at a shop.
The city itself is an interesting mixture of old buildings in colonial style dating back to the British days, overgrown with moss, plants and even small trees and modern buildings in various states. Its demand for electricity is at times higher than what the grid can handle. Therefore, blackouts are quite common and those who can afford it have their own generator at hand. In fact, many blocks in downtown Yangon rely on diesel powered generators installed in the streets to cater for the energy demand during peak times. Small shops often run battery powered LED lights.
Nevertheless, the streets were full of small businesses and little craft shops, a lot of young people were working in the small but emerging tourism industry. We experienced Yangon as an interesting city with lots of challenges ahead, however after decades of military rule, there was a was a sense of optimism and departure in the air.
Yangon in one picture: If I had to sum up Yangon in one picture it would probably be this: Warm afternoon rain pouring down, men and women formally dressed in longyi, inner city traffic that has come to a standstill and a mixture of colonial and modern architecture in the background, covered in moss and small plants due to the very hot and humid climate.
Sule Pagoda: The landmark right in the centre of Downtown Yangon is Sule Pagoda. Only second in size to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda north of the city centre, the structure is surrounded by shops and incorporated into a massive roundabout.
Night markets are slowly disappearing from Downtown Yangon, as officials put an order in place to free up public space and streets for car traffic. Most of the vendors now face the challenge of being assigned a fixed spot at the outskirts of Yangon on the side of a busy highway. Many say, this has ruined their business. Those who stay risk hefty fines.
Quality check: A vendor presents durian fruits to potential customers. The fruit's flesh has a very distinctive odour that can be quite overpowering and can be described as rotten onions, turpentine or even raw sewage. It evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, however the persistence of its odour has led to the fruit's ban from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia.
Rickshaw drivers on their lunch break, reading the newspaper in front of a humming diesel generator. Rickshaws are slowly disappearing from the Yangon cityscape as cars and motorcycles are increasingly available.
People praying at Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar and hundreds of people visit every day. The 99-meters high massive structure is covered in 60 tones of gold tons of gold and dominates the Skyline of Yangon. It is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas.
The hotel lobby chicken and an orchestra of cars', trucks', busses' and motorbikes' horns awaited us every morning on our way through town.
Yangon fish market is situated north of downtown Yangon at the banks of the Yangon River. Most of the fish is processed locally. The cooling is done with huge blocks of ice due to a lack of electrical power.
Alms round: Monks and nuns (in pink) collecting alms from local businesses and citizens is a common sight in Myanmar.
Old colonial buildings often have fallen out of use and gradually collapse.
Yangon taxi drivers wearing traditional longyis waiting for fares.
Yangon Circle Line: While train traffic in the country is rather slow and inefficient, the Yangon Circle connects downtown Yangon with suburbs and satellite towns rather quick.
Crossing the street in Yangon requires patience and at times courage.
Living side by side: Muslim minorities clashed with the majority of Buddhists as the Rohingya crisis intensified and violence erupted in Rakhine State during our stay.